Concerned consumers who claim to know a lot about caffeine content predicted a dire outcome for Panera Bread in a lawsuit involving Charged Lemonade and the death of a customer.
The video is by TikTok creator Bella Wolf (@happyly.bella), and her opinion on the incident received more than 1.8 million views in one day.
The text on the screen declares, “Why I believe Panera’s paid lemonade lawsuit has a chance of success.” In the caption accompanying the video, Wolf said, “I haven’t seen many people talk about the marketing behind these and the role it may have played in this incident, but I I feel that is important,” he added.
The video begins with Wolf saying, “As someone who drinks Panera Charged Lemonade and is hyper-conscious about its caffeine content, I have some thoughts about recent events.”
According to recent events, CNN accountinvolving a “21-year-old woman with heart disease” [who] A man died after drinking a caffeinated energy drink from Panera Bread that he believed was regular lemonade, his parents claim in a wrongful death lawsuit against the restaurant chain.
In September 2022, a young woman, Sarah Katz, was “at a restaurant with a friend when she experienced a cardiac arrest and was taken to the hospital for two days,” according to a CNN report on a lawsuit filed Monday in a Philadelphia court. He died after being arrested a second time.” .
“Charged Lemonade is mixed “in-store” by store employees, which means “the caffeine content is not controlled and, therefore, poses an inherent risk of variation,” the complaint states. It means that.”
Regarding this matter, Mr. Wolf said: “For those of you who don’t know, the average daily intake limit for caffeine for adults is 400 milligrams. A large Panera His Charged Lemonade contains 390. .”
The 400 milligram number is consistent with the US Food and Drug Administration’s instructions. its website “For healthy adults, the FDA recommends an amount of 400 milligrams per day, or the equivalent of about four to five cups of coffee, that is generally not associated with dangerous adverse effects.” There is wide variation in people’s sensitivities and how quickly they metabolize (break down) caffeine. ”
@happy.bella I haven’t seen many people talk about the marketing behind these and the role it may play in this incident, but I feel it’s important #Panera Charge Lemonade #Charge Dormonade ♬Original song – Bella Wolf 🪩✨
On the page promoting the charged lemonade drink, panera website “New Panera Charged Lemonades are the ultimate energy drink guaranteed to recharge your day. With clean caffeine derived from guarana and green coffee extract, these caffeinated lemonades are made with refreshing mango, cranberry , or strawberry-mint flavor. These drinks are cold and caffeinated, making them perfect for summer,” it concludes with an emphasis in bold.A clean coffee that is plant-based and contains the same amount of caffeine as dark roast coffee.”
At the bottom of the page it says, “Each ice-free beverage contains the following mg of caffeine: Strawberry Lemon Mint: 20 fl oz and 260mg and 30 fl oz and 390mg; Mango, Yuzu, Citrus: 20 fl oz and 260mg and 30 fl oz and 390mg; and Fuji Apple Cranberry: 20 fl oz and 259mg and 30 fl oz and 389mg”
Mr. Wolf saw a problem there.
“I think what people are missing a lot is that Panera is advertising this lemonade as having the same caffeine content as dark roast coffee,” the creator said. Ta.
Wolf then said that Panera’s large dark roast coffee contains 268 mg of caffeine. She noted that this amount is comparable to the caffeine content of regular charged lemonade and is not a large amount.
The author further states: “Most coffee contains around 80 milligrams of caffeine. Personally, I would never have expected a coffee to contain 260 milligrams.”
Later in the video, Wolf further emphasizes this, saying, “99% of coffee is in the 80 milligram range, so it’s generally deceptive.”
Wolf is not the first TikToker to speak out on the matter. As reported by the Daily Dot, one creator said he became a “caffeine addict” after drinking two bottles of Charged Lemonade. Another TikToker and former Panera employee said most customers didn’t know the drink was high in caffeine until she warned them.
One commenter wrote, “The accuser should be behind the counter. At my Panera, I’ve seen kids easily pouring lemonade.”
Wolf replied: I think it’s hard about the bite club/free refills, no one should receive refills anyway. ”
Another commenter wrote, “Thanks for the clarification, me and caffeine are not friends. If I drink paid lemonade, I’ll probably be out for the day.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Wolf and Panera via email.
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*First published: October 27, 2023 at 12:30pm CDT
phil west
Phil West is a veteran professional writer and editor and the author of two books about soccer, The United States of Soccer and I Believe That We Will Win, both published by The Overlook Press. His work has recently appeared in The Striker (where he was editor-in-chief), MLSSoccer.com, Next City, and Texas Highways. He is based in Austin and is also an instructor in the writing program at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
